The titanium based catalyst Cp*TiMe.sub.3 where Cp*=.eta..sup.5 pentamethylcyclopentadienyl, activated with tris(pentafluorophenyl) boron [B(C.sub.6 F.sub.5).sub.3 ] in a toluene solvent has been described in Macromol Chem Rapid Commun. 13, 265-268 (1992). This catalyst system has also been used to produce syndiotactic polystyrene (see U.S. application 08/108,968 supra)., and it has also been demonstrated that the formation of syndiotactic polystyrene involves carbocationic initiation of the styrene polymerization by a cationic titanium complex rather than coordination polymerization (Ziegler-Natta process) by the titanium complex (Baird et al, J. Am. Chem. Soc., in press).
It has now been found that the Cp*TiMe.sub.3 initiator, with the same B(C.sub.6 F.sub.5).sub.3 co-initiator can be used to produce a whole range of poly(vinyl ethers), hexadienes, hydrofurans, hydropyrans and N-vinylcarbazoles, many of which are also susceptible to polymerization via carbocationic initiation.
Included within the monomers to be polymerized by the process of the present invention are: methyl vinyl ether; ethyl vinyl ether; isobutyl vinyl ether; ethyl 1-propenyl ether; 2,3-dihydrofuran; 3,4-dihydro-2H-pyran; 9-vinylcarbazole; and 1,5-hexadiene. Ethyl vinyl ether and isobutyl vinyl ether are predominantly sticky liquid polymers which may be used as adhesives. Polyvinylcarbazoles have utility as photoconductive materials used in imaging applications such as laser printing and photocopying. In general, poly(alkyl vinyl ethers) find wide application as adhesives, surface coatings, lubricates, greases, elastomers, molding compounds, fibers, and films as well as in chemical processing.